Blu-ray won, what does that mean to you

Sony’s Blu-ray format wins out over the HD-DVD format. It is the official successor to the DVD. Blu-ray is an optical disc format that allows for playback of true high definition (HD) video on an HDTV. A Blu-ray disc can have almost 6 times a dual layer DVD’s capacity, and over 60 times the capacity of a CD. You may wonder, “Is it time to buy a Blu-ray player and replace your DVD collection with Blu-ray discs?” I advise you to wait a while longer.

Blu-ray takes its name from its blue-violet laser. A Blu-ray player is compatible with most CD and DVD discs, but not with HD-DVD discs. Blu-ray systems are capable of playing video at 1080p and providing true surround sound.

Broadcast content is a mishmash of resolutions. Regular TV uses a 480i format, which consists of 480 lines (counted vertically), drawn in an interlaced manner. The 240 odd numbered lines are drawn from the top of the screen to the bottom and then the even numbered lines, filling in the spaces. This happens very rapidly and humans do not see the interlacing. True HD content is 720p, 1080i, or 1080p. Cable, satellite and over-the-air (OTA) HD content is 720p or 1080i. The underlying video may be of lower quality in an HD broadcast. This is often the case on HD channels. They upscale the original 480i or 480p content to 720p or 1080i. It is shown in HD but it is not true HD. The original material must be recorded in an HD format for the viewed content to be true HD. More and more TV series are being shot in HD formats so you can expect the quality of TV pictures to improve over time, even if the quality of the writing, directing and acting is in decline. Due to capacity constraints OTA, cable and satellite providers are unlikely to broadcast content at more than 1080i.

DVDs are usually formatted at 480p. The “p” stands for progressive. The material is shown by progressively drawing lines 1-480. The picture is somewhat better than an interlaced one. Most Blu-ray players upscale DVD content to 1080p. The DVD looks better than when shown on a regular DVD player. It is not HD.

Some earlier Blu-ray players are outdated. They lack internet connections and cannot be updated. However, the Sony PlayStation 3 (PS3) gaming consoles account for the majority of players sold-to-date. These can be updated.

The Blu-ray system utilizes many forms of DRM (Digital Rights Management or Digitally Restricted Media) to encrypt the content and make it more difficult to play and duplicate. If a Blu-ray player’s software is not compatible with that on the disc you may not be able to watch it.

There are not a lot of Blu-ray player models available. I surveyed the landscape and found only about a dozen, including the PS3, and two recently announced but not available, next generation Sony players. List prices range from $400 to $3,500. There are also several high-end media center PCs that include Blu-ray transports, which are not in my list. The lowest price I have seen for a Blu-ray player was $333 for an out-of-date model that is a “Profile 1.0” player. The current specification is Profile 1.1. Profile 2.0 is due out in the fall.

A Profile 1.1 Blu-ray player is still relatively expensive vis-à-vis a DVD player. There are only about 600 commercial Blu-ray titles available versus the tens of thousands of DVD titles. The discs cost $5 to $10 more than DVDs. And since the Blu-ray specification is still a work in progress, I suggest waiting. Go watch YouTube or We Need Girlfriends instead.